Coronavirus in the US

Yes, if the point of a quarantine (and that is exactly what it is) is to protect the broader community rather than the infected people.

3 employees who attended a Biogen meeting in Boston have tested positive.

https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/3-who-attended-biogen-meeting-in-boston-test-positive-for-coronavirus/2086462/

"A coronavirus test developed by a US diagnostics company will be available for healthcare providers to order later today.

The US government is ramping up efforts to increase its ability to identify the coronavirus and an ongoing struggle to expand local testing has led to criticism.

Health officials said earlier today they expect to deliver enough coronavirus tests to public laboratories this week to test about 400,000 people. Officials expect to ship additional test kits to cover up to 1.7m people by the end of next week, US health and human services secretary Alex Azar said.

The news of Laboratory Corp of America Holdings (LabCorp) tests comes as Quest Diagnostics and OPKO Health also said they would be able to begin testing for the virus from next week.

The FDA has said it will allow some laboratories to immediately use the tests they have developed and validated while they await emergency-use authorisation from the US health regulator.

Co-Diagnostics Inc said it was seeing a surge in demand for its coronavirus test kits following the FDA policy change…

Analysts at Evercore ISI expect the lab tests developed by Quest and LabCorp to be priced around $45 to $50, similar to a flu test." (Guardian)

Don’t know if I remember seeing this one posted -

San Francisco confirms 2 community-spread cases of coronavirus

https://www.kron4.com/health/coronavirus/2-coronavirus-cases-confirmed-in-san-francisco/

The two cases are unrelated and both patients are isolated and being cared for at separate hospitals in San Francisco.

According to officials, one patient is a man in his 90’s with underlying health conditions.

The second patient is a woman in her 40’s.

The two patients had not recently traveled and did not have any known contact with other coronavirus patients.

The patients are in fair and serious condition, according to official.

San Francisco’s Director of Health Grant Colfax said the virus was most likely “community spread,” meaning the source of the virus is unknown.

2nd case of coronavirus infection in NJ. The patient is hospitalized at the Englewood hospital in Bergen county.

PALESTINE - First 7 cases in Palestine, West Bank. 5 new cases in addition to the first 2 reported earlier. Palestinian Authority closes Bethlehem churches and mosques for two weeks.

DHS denies 241 people entry at US ports, airports

"The US Department of Homeland Security refused entry into the country to 241 people – 14 at airports; 227 at land ports – within the past month because of the novel coronavirus, according to data provided by the department.

The figures provided by DHS were recorded from February 2 to March 3. The department did not provide a breakdown by country for those who were refused entry at airports. Another 106 foreign nationals were denied entry before arriving in the US at pre-clearance airports, where US Customs officials conduct screening overseas.

The department is tasked with screening passengers that are subject to the President’s travel restrictions from China and Iran. At the beginning of February, the United States began implementing stringent travel restrictions in an effort to contain the coronavirus outbreak. Most foreign nationals who visited China in the 14 days before their arrival to the United States are denied entry. That was expanded last week to include Iran.

Customs and Border Protection officers, who conduct initial screenings for inbound passengers, are being told to review the travel advisories, such as those for Italy and South Korea. If individuals from those countries are exhibiting symptoms, they are referred for additional health screening, according to a CBP official Thursday. However, those travelers are not necessarily denied entry, since they are not subject to the ban.

The official said officers are briefed at the start of their shifts on the latest information.

“We have information that resides in our internal databases and websites, as well, so (officers) have access to the latest information,” the official said." (CNN)

The two new cases in Harris County TX (outside Houston city limits) are husband and wife. They returned from a trip to Egypt. (The male is an employee of Rice University. Rice is expected to release information on this shortly.)

I just watched the KHOU news live.

Edited to add: The couple were on the same trip as the Fort Bend County man who was confirmed earlier.

@ridingthewave suggested the TWiV (This Week in Virology) podcast hosted by Vincent Racaniello at Columbia. I’m also a fan!

TWIV has done a couple episodes on the virus and they just did a special yesterday:
http://www.microbe.tv/twiv/

These aren’t the first cases around the world tied back to Egypt which only has confirmed 3 positive cases in country. Bound to be more if they are actually looking for them.

Six new cases in Santa Clara County today. The health department is recommending people cancel or postpone large gatherings. Employers should allow workers to work from home if possible, and separate employees by six feet if possible. People over 50, or who have health conditions that would make covid dangerous for them, should stay out of crowded social gatherings.

I guess we won’t go to our local theater next week. The theater will be half empty, since almost all the people who go on our week-day performance day are older than we are.

The federal government is lying when they say everyone who needs to be tested is getting tested. Here’s a statement dated today from a nurse at a northern California Kaiser hospital. She was treating a covid patient, using all the recommended gear. She got sick. She can’t get tested yet because there aren’t enough tests!

Why yes, I do blame the CDC for wasting three weeks with their failed attempts at making tests.

https://act.nationalnursesunited.org/page/-/files/graphics/NU-Quarantine-RN-press-conf-statement.pdf

Great…because after our family member goes to Seattle, that person is going to…Santa Clara County.

More on the Santa Clara cases -

Santa Clara County confirms 7 community transmission cases

"Santa Clara County public health officials have confirmed six new cases there, bringing the total number of infections in the northern California county to 20. Seven of the 20 cases have “no known travel or direct contact with other known cases,” James Williams, director of emergency management, told reporters at a press conference.

Santa Clara County Public Health Department Director Dr. Sara Cody said the county is recommending the cancellation of mass gatherings and other big events to help slow the spread of the outbreak. There were 53 cases in California as of Wednesday, according to the state health department, with dozens of new cases announced by public health officials Thursday.

“Our cases to date indicate to us that the risk of exposure to the virus in our community is increasing,” she said, adding that the number of cases are expected to rise.

Employers are being asked to suspend all non-essential employee travel, keep employees from working more than arms-length from each other, allow more flexible sick leave policies and increase tele-commuting" (CNBC)

"San Francisco health officials say COVID-19 is ‘spreading in the community’
San Francisco health officials announced the first two cases of COVID-19 in the city, and said they were unable to determine the source of the infections.

The first patient is a man in his 90s who has underlying health conditions and is in “serious condition,” San Francisco public health director Dr. Grant Colfax told reporters Thursday. The second person is a woman in her 40s who is in “fair” condition.

“We do not know at this point how they were exposed to the virus, which suggests it is spreading in the community,” he said in a statement. “We expected that to happen and are further investigating the circumstances of these patients’ exposure.”" (CNBC)

What about the San Jose Airport?

Three confirmed cases in Maryland.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wusa9.com/amp/article/news/health/coronavirus/three-confirmed-cases-in-maryland/65-113ff7d4-0ab9-4f23-82a5-d226fd846a54

Has there been anything written/ reported lately about the idea that the virus will die off when the hot weather arrives?
It was in the 60s around here today - unusually warm for this time of year. Maybe a heat wave is all we need???

The Vatican is planing special virus measures for the pope

"The Vatican said on Thursday it was considering changes to Pope Francis’s schedule “to avoid the dissemination” of the new coronavirus that has killed 148 people and infected hundreds in Italy.

The Vatican did not say whether the outgoing 83-year-old pope would be temporarily kept away from crowds or whether he would stop shaking hands with visitors.

Pope Francis has not been seen in public since announcing during his traditional Sunday prayer before crowds on Saint Peter’s Square that he was skipping an annual spiritual refuge south of Rome because of a cold. He had been seen coughing and sniffing since last Wednesday.

The pontiff has cut down his schedule and has spent most of his time at his Saint Martha’s guest house in the Vatican." (Guardian)

3 Marylanders traveled abroad. Reported to be in good health.

Colorado reports first case

"Colorado officials announced a presumptive positive case of coronavirus, the state’s first case, according to a statement from the Colorado Department of Public Health.

The case is in an out-of-state visitor – a male in his 30s – to Summit County.

When the man arrived at Denver’s airport on February 29, he was asymptomatic, Gov. Jared Polis said.

The man developed symptoms two days ago, was tested yesterday and today the state lab said the test was positive.

The person was advised to go to a lower alititude and relocated to Jefferson County, the governor added…Coronavirus makes people sick, usually with a mild to moderate upper respiratory tract illness, similar to a common cold.

The man is in isolation and his fiancee is in quarantine. Two friends from Colorado have been given quarantine directions, the governor said.

Polis said the man traveled to Italy in mid-February and had a travel companion who has had a positive coronavirus test in another state, Polis said." (CNN)

Received an email from Rice. Employee was on campus 2/24 and 2/25. Rice learned about this case on 2/29. Employee was only in one building on campus and the doctoral students, faculty and staff that he was in contact with (17 of them I believe) were asked to self-quarantine. None have reported symptoms so far. The building he was in was “extensively and continuously sanitized along with the rest of the campus.” Employee was not in contact with any undergrads.

Kids go on Spring Break in a week so hopefully this has been contained. My D says kids are all getting packages from parents with hand sanitizers, wipes, masks, etc. She says a few kids were wearing masks shortly after winter break, but she hasn’t seen any recently. She says the kids are either very chill about it or panicking. There is a large event going on in Houston the next couple weeks (the Houston Rodeo) and her friends were debating tonight whether or not it was “safe” to go.

Rice has cancelled all international school sponsored trips over Spring Break and any students leaving the county are supposed to register their trip with the school.

My D got swine flu when everyone was freaking out about it so she’s pretty relaxed about the whole thing. We just keep reminding her to wash hands and keep her hands off her face (i.e. not bite her nails while she studies for her midterm!).